Erik had a random week off from work and we decided to take a last minute to getaway for some family time. We always love our camping trips but thought we would maximize our time and head to Yosemite. We had never been and only heard incredible things about it. We rented a last minute Airbnb and packed up the car. We landed in Oakhurst, which is about 40 minutes from the gates of Yosemite. Everywhere we went it we were overwhelmed by nature's beauty. Just unreal colors! Our cabin was about 1 mile from Bass Lake. We made our way into town for some groceries and essentials. Everything was so easy! I am the queen of getting us into "great" locations and it not being what we hoped for. I botch more travel plans than I get right! And we have learned over the years to never give me the map! We were pleasantly surprised that mommy got it right this time! Our cabin was nothing fancy but had more than we needed and was so well equipped! And had a hot tub! Sold!!!
On our first morning, we drove into Yosemite to visit some of the hotspots. We started with Half Dome and Glacier Point. The views were spectacular! We could see views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite’s high country,
Don't miss our video recap at the bottom!!
After Half Dome, we headed down to the valley to check out Vernal Falls. The trees looked like they had been painted bright red and yellow! We stopped in the valley to see more waterfalls and check out the river. Beyond dreamy!
We didn't really know what what we were in for with hiking Vernal Falls. We knew it was 1 mile at 1000 ft climb which was a little rough. I really wanted to take advantage of us being there so we tried it. I thought Capri and daddy would beat us lazy girls me and Peyton but I was so wrong! I was totally left in the dust but Peyton and daddy flew past me and Capri. Peyton literally ran up the hill half of the time. We made it to the top and the view was beautiful! I loved seeing the bright yellow trees amongst the lower parts of the hike. So gorgeous and totally worth the workout!
After our hike we all were starving and thought we'd splurge on Mexican food in the local Bass Lake town. So yummy after a long day.
On our last day we visited Sugar Pine Railroad and learned all about the steam train locomotives and history of the railroad. The railroad was opened in 1874 to transport lumber to the bottom of the mountain. Due to the Great Depression and lack of trees it was closed in 193. The kids had a great time and we learned a lot about the trains history.
Erik loves to fish and so we really wanted to make a point of getting some fishing in on this trip. I've grown up around fishing and really like to fly fish myself so it was fun to teach the girls. We found a great little spot on the river next to the Wawona Golf Course and tried our luck. Erik caught one right off the bat but no luck for us girls. It was such a gorgeous setting we could have tried all day. We fished until the rain came in and then headed back to play board games and watch movies for the rest of the day while it rained.
We can't wait to head back in another season. We hear that summer and spring are breathtaking as well. We can't imagine anything prettier than the fall colors though at the time we were there.
I put together a fun video from our Snapchat ( @LifewLipstick) of the trip!